CUL - Main Content

View a copy of the final list.

Over the last hundred years African writers have written of their lives, experiences, culture, history and myth; they have written in diverse forms, styles and in many languages. They have been published widely on the African continent, in Europe, the Americas and Asia. They have written in English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Swahili, and in many other indigenous languages. And they have written with extraordinary originality, flair and great integrity. Nonetheless their work as a corpus deriving from the African continent remains largely unknown and uncelebrated.

To mark the beginning of the 21st century, and encouraged by Professor Ali Mazrui, the Zimbabwe International Book Fair launched the international compilation of "Africa's 100 Best Books." This project was organized in collaboration with the African Publishers Network (APNET), the Pan-African Booksellers Association (PABA), African writers' associations, book development councils, and library associations.

Nominations were sought throughout the African continent and internationally. A comprehensive list of all nominations was published at the ZIBF in August 2001 and during the course of the following year regional panels compiled their own short lists of 100 best books. Closing date for nominations was 30 September 2001.

A jury made the final decision from the short list and the final list of "Africa's 100 Best Books" was announced on February 18, 2002.

See: a copy of the list below.

This allowed ample time for those involved (authors of nominated books and their publishers) to prepare for participation in ZIBF2002. From August 3rd to the 10th in 2002, the fair participants celebrated the authors and publishers on the final list.

The aim of this endeavour is:

• to celebrate the achievements of African writers over the last century
  
• to stimulate debate, discussion, reading, criticism and analysis of African writing
  
• to foster the publication and development of new titles and those that are currently out of print
  
• to encourage translation of different texts
  
• to promote the sale and exchange of books continent-wide and throughout the world
  
• and above all to increase awareness and knowledge of books and writing by African authors.

Only books written by Africans are eligible. After extensive discussion and debate the ZIBF has for the purpose of this project identified an African as: 'someone either born in Africa or who became a citizen of an African country.' This definition incorporates those African writers who have moved from their countries of birth to other continents. The issue of authors who are not by this definition deemed African but who consider themselves such or those who have made a notable contribution to African scholarship and literature will be addressed on their merit should their books be nominated.

Nominations were made on the basis that the book has had a powerful, important or affecting influence on the nominator, as an individual, or on society.

• Use this project to generate discussion among your colleagues and friends, with your teachers or students, and in the media.
  
• Use it as a basis for having African writers in your own cities and countries interviewed, or given a platform to speak and to debate their own work.
  
• Use it as a positive vehicle for analysis, serious criticism, debate and scholarship.
  
• Use it as an excuse to buy or loan books and to extend the breadth of your knowledge and understanding of the great wealth of fiction and non-fiction written by Africans about their lives and societies.
  
• Photocopy, translate, circulate and encourage people to seriously complete the nomination forms. Every serious nomination will lend weight and substance to the list; every book that has made an impact on an individual or on society is worthy of note.

Please address all queries and ideas directly to:
Zimbabwe International Book Fair Association
P. O. Box CY1179
Causeway
Harare
Zimbabwe

Fax: 263 4 702129

Arranged in the tables below is a copy of the final list of 100 titles announced by the panel of judges in Accra, Ghana, 18 February 2002.

• Literature for Children
  
• Creative Writing
  
• Scholarship/non-fiction

In the table below, ** indicates a top twelve title.